SPORT SHORTS

Colts Neck High School student Kevin Wall is rallying the troops to fight Parkinson’s disease. He is hosting Run Hard or Go Home, a 5K run and walk fundraiser to benefit the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF) at Colts Neck High School on May 10 starting at 7:30 a.m.

Wall, 17, is chief petty officer in the school’s Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. He was inspired to organize the 5K in memory of a close family friend who lived with Parkinson’s for nearly 30 years.

“Kenneth Dunckley was a close friend of my family who I looked up to almost like a grandfather. It was sad to see him suffer with Parkinson’s and feel like there was nothing I could do about it. That’s why I’m hosting the 5K, to keep his spirit alive and raise funds for PDF to help find a cure for Parkinson’s,” Wall said in a press release. “I know Mr. Dunckley would be very proud of me if he was still here today, and would be the first person on the starting line at the race.”

Working with the PDF Champions program, the grassroots fundraising arm of the PDF, Wall hopes to exceed his $3,000 fundraising goal. Registration to participate in the 5K is $25 for runners and $20 for walkers. The event will also feature food and races for children.

To support Wall’s fundraising efforts, contact PDF at 800-457-6676, [email protected] or www.pdf.org.